The Inheritance
by Lisa1783
Summary: An abondoned orphan is taken in by a loving family but is rejected by society. A rich aristocrat who no longer believes love is possible for him.
1. Default Chapter

The Inheritance ~ Part 1 **Title:** The Inheritance   
**Author:** Lisa   
**Email:** [LWo1783@aol.com][1]   
**Category:** Max and Liz   
**Rating:** PG to PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** Based on both the book The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott and the telemovie by CBS of the same title. Max and Liz are characters which belong to the show Roswell of UPN (yay!).   
**Summary:** An abandoned orphan is taken in by a loving family but is raised in a society which shuns her. A rich aristocrat who no longer believes there is hope for love for him. Can they overcome the obstacles to somehow find happiness together?   
**Author's Notes:** If you have read any of my other fics, you'll know that I always ALWAYS have happiness insurance on my fics. This means that Max and Liz will always end up together, if only to make me happy! BTW, I really don't know when this takes place but let's just call it a historical romance. Early 1900's perhaps.   
**Distribution:** If you like this enough, thank you and yes! I would like a link back though. 

Part 1   
Liz Parker was careful not to make any noise as she headed out of the manor. She didn't want anyone to see her, especially the maids. It might be difficult to explain why she was up so early, much less why she was wearing pants. Her long, brown hair was neatly piled under a cap and she was wearing a pea coat. From a distance, no one would be able to tell that she was a woman. 

She left through the back kitchen door and headed down the path to the stables. Every morning Liz would steal away to ride. When she entered the stables, the horses there pricked their ears and eagerly reached their heads out to greet her. Liz smiled at each one of them and spoke gently to them. She reached her favorite horse and saddled him. Salim was about 2 years old and was very spirited. However, Liz had learned how to control him and was training him slowly. 

As they galloped across the fields and pastures, Liz felt all the troubles of the everyday world slip away. All she felt was freedom. Fences and low stone walls appeared as they rode, but Liz would always guide Salim over them easily. 

As they neared the small brook, Liz's heart raced a little faster. Salim had never been able to jump the water. Perhaps today would be the day. She leaned forward and spoke in his ear, encouraging him. However, apparently, Salim was not in a mood to cooperate today. Just short of the water, he abruptly stopped and Liz was thrown over him. 

For a minute Liz just lay on the ground, the wind knocked out of her. Luckily, she had been prepared for this, having been thrown before. She got on her feet and groaned slightly. Brushing the dirt away from her face, she walked over to Salim who was munching on the grass as if he didn't have a care in the world. 

She smiled and gently rubbed his mane. "It's okay, Salim. One day you'll fly over the water like it's nothing, I promise." She got back in the saddle and decided to treat herself to another ride around the estate. 

Evenswood was where she had grown up and what she considered her home. Although she was born in Italy, she remembered very little of it. When she was five, both her parents had died and she was placed in an orphanage there. That was where Henry DeLuca had found her. 

Henry had been in Italy to find his estranged brother. By the time that he had tracked Jeffrey's last known whereabouts, he was too late. He learned from various people that his older brother had died from influenza. Grief-stricken, he was about to return home back to England when he passed by the orphanage. There, a little girl was singing a song in English. 

Henry stopped to listen to it and realized the song was a lullaby that his mother had sang to both him and Jeffrey. Taking it as a sign, he talked to the little girl. Amazingly, she spoke both English and Italian. Henry learned that her name was Liz and was five. He was immediately taken by her sweetness and intelligence, even at such a young age. 

He had a daughter who had just been born at home, Maria, and decided to take this little girl as a companion for Maria. After all the papers were arranged to be the legal guardian of Liz, he took her back to England. Amy was a little shocked by her husband's decision and was about to say something when something caught her attention. 

Maria had been laying in the crib and was fussing when Liz walked over. Liz began to sing the same lullaby Henry had heard before and Maria immediately settled down. Liz soothed Maria until she fell asleep and even then, Liz continued to sing to her. Amy was touched by this scene before her and consented to allow Liz to stay. 

As they grew up, Liz continued to watch over Maria almost as an older sister. Because Liz was older, she began taking lessons in piano, art, archery, and various other things as she went to a local school. When Maria became older, Liz patiently watched over her lessons and guided her. They became best friends and acted as if they were sisters. 

However, when Maria was off at her private school during the day, there was little for Liz to do. Since she was considered only to be a companion to Amy, society ignored her. Henry and Amy did their best to keep her entertained but they were busy with their own engagements. 

Soon, Liz made friends with various other servants around the house. But still, she was lonely. 

~*~*~   
Smiling sheepishly, Liz held out her plate to Cora the cook. With an amazed look on her face, Cora asked, "More? I don't know how you fit it all down and still look like you're starving." Even as she was saying this, Cora added another stack of pancakes on Liz's plate along with several more pieces of sausage. The kitchen was bustling with servants and maids heading in and out. Liz had changed out of her riding clothes and was back in her full dress along with bustle. 

As Liz sat back down at the table, Alex, a house boy, tried to steal a link of sausage from her plate. Liz playfully slapped his hand away and laughed. "Get your own." 

"Haven't you ever heard of sharing, Lizzie?" Alex pretended to be hurt. 

"No," Liz replied airily, taking a large bite out of the sausage. She then laughed and handed Alex a piece. 

"Why do you need so much food anyway?" Alex asked. "You don't want to get fat do you?" 

"Hush now," Cora interrupted as she sat down with them. "We all know that she will never be able to get fat even if she tried, and it certainly appears that she is trying." 

Liz blushed a little. Her morning run had taken a lot of energy and she was extremely hungry this morning. Still, she laughed along with them good-naturedly. 

"You were late this morning," Cora pointed out. "Did you sleep in?" 

Liz's hand froze for a minute as she was lifting her fork up to her mouth. Thinking quickly, she shook her head. "No. No, I was, uhh... taking a walk this morning." 

Pam, one of the new maids, had walked in and heard the latter part of the conversation. Ever since she arrived, she had acted snidely to Liz, trying to provoke her in any way. However, no matter what she said or did, Liz kept her patience and was the bigger of the two. Pam opened her mouth and said, "A walk? My...ain't we getting more like a DeLuca everyday?" 

Alex was immediately there to defend his friend. "Shut your mouth, Pam." 

Pam knew that she wouldn't be able to get away at doing something to Liz, at least not in front of Alex. Liz smiled at her friend, grateful he was there. "So, Lizzie, are you going to finish that food?" he asked. 

Liz laughed. "I've only had two bites!" 

He looked at her plate and said dryly, "Well, either you've forgotten how to count or you take very large mouthfuls of food." Liz looked down and saw that nearly half the plate was cleared. Sheepishly, she looked back up at Alex who was grinning at her. 

"Why don't you just ask Cora to make more food for you?" 

"Because his limit is three plates," Cora answered. 

"I'm a growing boy," Alex protested and all three friends laughed. This was what Liz enjoyed, just having someone to talk to, laugh with. However, it was to be short lived this morning when Pam interrupted. "Oh, I forgot. Liz, Mrs. DeLuca wanted to see you this morning." 

Liz jumped up. Of course it would take Pam several minutes to tell her that. As she started to pick up her plate to clean off, Alex took it out of her hands and said, "I'll just take care of that for you." 

Shaking her head with a smile, Liz started walking out of the kitchen when she heard Pam's voice. "I wonder what it'll be today. Lawn tennis followed by an hour of poetry reading?" The sarcasm in her voice seemed to scream across the room but Liz just ignored it. 

As soon as Liz walked out of the door, Cora asked, "Why are you so mean to the girl all the time?" 

Pam shot her a glare as she answered, "Oh it is so hard to be the companion to a rich girl. She pretends like she's one of us when she barely works at all." 

"Shut up," was all Alex had to say. "She's one of us." 

~*~*~*   
As Liz walked into the large living room, Amy DeLuca was sitting at her desk finishing a letter. "Ah, hello, Liz. How are you this morning?" she asked warmly with a smile. 

Liz stood by the desk and answered, "Very well, Mrs. DeLuca. You are doing well also, I hope." 

Amy gave a content smile as she answered happily, "Yes, quite well, thank you, Liz." She put her letter in the envelope and asked while sealing the wax, "And what are your plans for Maria today?" 

"I actually haven't had a chance to see her yet this morning." 

"Ah. Well try to get her to go outside, will you, Liz? She's been finished with school for nearly a week now and she still refuses to take her head out of those books!" 

Liz gave a small chuckle. "She's reading Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'," Liz explained. "She's quite enthralled in it." 

Pausing for a moment, Amy smiled as she recalled a memory. "The first time I ever heard of that story was when Mr. DeLuca read it to me. It was the sweetest afternoon," she said. Liz couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. Henry and Amy DeLuca's love always showed, even when they were apart. Secretly, she longed for someone to love her and adore her as much as Henry loved and adored Amy. 

Amy got up from the table and started walking over to the tea tray set out. She handed Liz a cup and poured her some tea. Liz, knowing that Mrs. DeLuca sometimes had a tendency to be a bit forgetful about some things, gently asked, "Did you want to see me this morning?" 

Amy gasped as she said, "Yes! My goodness, I completely forgot. My distant cousin Tess Harding is coming to visit today. She has been staying with some ancient old aunts of mine and has asked if she may come here. Of course I couldn't be rude so I agreed. The truth is, she is looking for a husband. She's about six years older than you, I think, so she is getting rather old for being unmarried. And she has no property, which does not help." 

Liz nodded. She understood the rules of this society too well. Beauty and wealth were the only things necessary besides a good name that were required. However, since this Tess Harding was related to the DeLuca's, a prominent name in society, she had cleared the largest hurdle. 

Amy began to speak again as she filled her own cup with tea. "However, Tess couldn't have come at a more perfect time. The Green's Cup is coming and we will have two very eligible bachelors practically right under our noses. Mr. Max Evans will be staying here with us and Mr. Kyle Valenti will be staying with his uncle, Mr. Valenti. 

"I want you to help Tess settle in here, Liz. I know you have a way with people once you get over your shyness. I also know that if you make it your personal mission, Tess would feel at home here in no time." 

Liz nodded and smiled. "Of course, Mrs. DeLuca. I would be delighted." 

"Good," Amy said, pleased. "Why don't you come join us for tea then?" 

"Tea?" 

~*~*~*   
"Come on, Maria. I promised your mother that we would go outside today," Liz repeated. 

"But, Liz, we're at the most exciting part!" Maria protested. "Romeo's under her balcony and he's saying, 'Hark! What light through yonder window -' Hey! Liz!" 

Liz smiled as she snatched the book out of Maria's hands. Shaking her head firmly, "No. You're not getting this back until we go outside for some exercise." 

Maria started to pout but Liz remained unmoved. "The sooner we go the sooner we can come back to this," Liz teased as she waved the book out of Maria's reach. 

"Fine!" Maria gave up. "What do you want to do?" 

"How about a little archery? I all ready had Alex set up the targets just for us." 

"Okay, let's go," Maria feigned glumness, hoping to persuade Liz to stay inside. However, she had no such luck. 

**For those of you who enjoyed my first fic "A Romance to Remember" should like this fic also. I'm not sure which one I like better, but I feel this one is a little bit better written now that I kind of am getting the hang of this fan fiction writing. This is my fourth fic so I think I'm getting a little experience. However, I think you should tell me how I'm doing. How? By leaving feedback of course! You guys are the only reason I keep on writing Roswell fanfics. Digame! Talk to me!**

   [1]: mailto:LWo1783@aol.com



	2. Afternoon Tea

Ever After ~ Part 2 **Title:** The Inheritance   
**Author:** Lisa   
**Email:** [LWo1783@aol.com][1]   
**Category:** Max and Liz   
**Rating:** PG to PG-13   
**Disclaimer:** Based on both the book The Inheritance by Louisa May Alcott and the telemovie by CBS of the same title. Max and Liz are characters which belong to the show Roswell of UPN (yay!).   
**Summary:** An abandoned orphan is taken in by a loving family but is raised in a society which shuns her. A rich aristocrat who no longer believes there is hope for love for him. Can they overcome the obstacles to somehow find happiness together?   
**Author's Notes:** If you have read any of my other fics, you'll know that I always ALWAYS have happiness insurance on my fics. This means that Max and Liz will always end up together, if only to make me happy! BTW, I really don't know when this takes place but let's just call it a historical romance. Early 1900's perhaps.   
**Distribution:** If you like this enough, thank you and yes! I would like a link back though. 

Part 2   
"I can't believe I'm going to have tea with you today," Liz said as she aimed drew back her arrow. "I won't know what to say." 

"Please, Liz. There is nothing to be worried about," Maria comforted her friend. She knew how Liz got when it came down to things dealing with society, something Liz didn't feel comfortable with. She often became nervous and insecure. 

They both released their arrows and watched them fly toward the targets. "How do you that?" Maria exclaimed as she saw that Liz's had hit the center - again. 

"You're getting better, Maria. When you release, try to keep your balance a little better. And pull back an inch or two more," Liz suggested. Maria sighed and tried to follow her directions. To her surprise and joy, her arrow landed in the middle also. 

"Woohoo!" she shrieked with joy and Liz couldn't help but laugh along with her. Then, she remembered the tea issue again and sighed. "What if I say something stupid?" she asked. 

"What? At tea?" Maria was ready to aim again. "But that's what tea is for. To say everything stupid that we've been holding in all day." 

"Maria." 

"Lizzie, relax please. It's just going to be me, Mama, Papa, and Tess. We're all family." 

Family. Liz wanted nothing more than to really be a part of Maria's family. They were like sisters and Henry and Amy treated her like their daughter. But there were constant reminders that she really wasn't a part of the family. Such as whenever someone visited, they would ignore Liz completely, even when one of the DeLuca's tried to include her in conversations. It came to be so that Liz never 'socialized.' 

"Okay," Liz agreed for the sake of Maria. "Let's talk about the Green's Cup then." 

"More sports?" Maria groaned. 

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of who this Mr. Evans was." 

"Oh. Years back he visited us once, don't you remember? Wait, you weren't here. Where were you? Hmm... Oh, I remember! That was when you had the whooping cough and had to go into the countryside. Do you remember that?" 

Nodding her head patiently, Liz motioned for Maria to continue. "I don't remember much about him. I think he was a little gangly, truth be told." 

"Is that why your parents picked him this year to ride for the DeLuca's in the race?" 

"I suppose so," Maria replied carelessly. She turned to Liz and pleaded. "Do you think this is enough? Can we _please_ go back inside and act out the rest of 'Romeo and Juliet?' I'll even let you be Juliet this time." 

Liz gave out a mock gasp. "You **must** be desperate to go back, to give up the leading lady role." 

"We left right when something was happening on the balcony! I know Romeo is going to say something romantic, I just know it!" 

"Okay," Liz conceded, much to Maria's delight. "Let's go." 

As they walked toward the house, Liz suddenly remembered the task she would have later that day. "Maria, what's your cousin Tess like?" 

"Tess?" Maria thought for a second. "I really don't recall. I only met her a few times and it's been years since I've last seen her. However..." she paused and grinned. "I wonder though since she has to come all this way for a husband!" 

Liz jokingly pretended to be shocked by Maria's comment and the two girls laughed as they ran the rest of the way back. 

~*~*~*   
Liz stood in the shadows of the house outside while Henry, Amy, and Maria all waited as the carriage pulled up to the house. The driver stopped the horses and Henry went to open the carriage door. 

Holding his hand out, he helped Tess out of the carriage. As she stepped down, she looked around in her new surroundings. Her eyes slightly narrowed as she saw Liz standing in the corner; however, she smiled when her Amy greeted her. "Tess, how was your trip, dear?" 

"It was nice, but long," she replied. 

"Of course," Henry said. "Well, you're here now so why don't we put your bags away so you can settle a bit. Maria can show you where your room is." 

~*~*~*   
Liz smiled uncomfortably as she sat in her chair in the main parlor. She couldn't shake the feeling that Tess didn't like her very much. 'Stop that. You haven't even spoken to her yet.' She tried focusing back on the conversation that Mr. DeLuca was in the midst of. 

"...and don't you think that it's utterly ridiculous that in our concern for the propriety of women, we have them risk their necks by riding side-saddle when they should be riding astride like men?" 

Tess laughed. "But the scandal," she said. 

"Who cares?" Henry asked, not seeing the point. 

"The hunt club would have us thrown in jail for being so unladylike," Tess joked. 

"Good," Henry replied staunchly. "A night in jail would do us all good." 

At his comment, Liz nearly choked on her tea with laughter. She caught Maria's eyes and Maria winked at her. Liz could almost hear Maria say 'I told you so.' Amy looked mortified at her husband's comment. 

"Maybe we should discuss something else," she said, wanting to change the topic. 

"Like what?" her husband asked. He really wanted to talk about this more. 

Trying to think of something, Amy waved her hands a little. "Um...we could discuss the arrival of our guest, Mr. Max Evans." 

"He doesn't ride side-saddle does he?" Again the three younger girls tried to hold back their laughter. 

"I heard he had his heart broken tragically," Maria began dramatically. Liz couldn't help but smile affectionately at her. She had such a flair for these things. 

"Uh, no gossiping," Amy reproved. At the same time, Tess leaned forward and said eagerly, "Do tell." 

Ignoring her mother, Maria continued. "They say that he once fell madly in love with a girl. On the night before he was going to proclaim his love, he found out his brother was in love with her too. So he put aside his own feelings and worked to bring them together. He never said a word about his own feelings except to his mother. Then a year later, the couple died in a tragic accident. This was many years ago and he's never given away his heart since." 

Everyone was quiet for a moment as they processed this story. Then Maria added, "Or perhaps no one would have him. He was a bit...awkward looking." 

"Maria!" her mother exclaimed. "That is not nice to say! You only saw him once as a little girl." 

"I'm sorry," Maria said automatically. 

Amy caught sight of Liz and decided to bring her back into the conversation. "What do you think of the story, Liz?" 

Caught, Liz froze. Amy tried again. "Liz, what do you say of how Mr. Evans is based on this?" 

Swallowing, Liz started. "A face can change over a lifetime...but the heart can stay true forever. It sounds as if Mr. Evans has a very pure and true heart, one that would be worth winning." 

The DeLuca's gave a small chuckle. "Liz, you're a romantic poet," Henry said in praise of the girl he considered another daughter. Tess noticed this and studied Liz a little more. 

~*~*~*   
"...and this path here leads down to the stables. In the summertime it is covered in the most beautiful wildflowers," Liz said as she pointed down the path. She was showing the estate to Tess, leading her down the main path. "And that over there leads to the crags. I'd love to show it to you one day if you'd like." 

Tess really could not care less about the crags. She wanted to know more about Liz, what it was that made the DeLuca's care so much about her. "I want to thank you, Liz, for showing me around. It is very kind of you." 

"Well, I want you to feel at home here. We all do," Liz started but then corrected herself. "I mean, the DeLucas and I do." 

"You're very close to the DeLucas, aren't you?" Tess probed. 

"Yes," Liz nodded. "I love them as if they were my own family." 

"Of course," Tess put on a sympathetic face. "My aunties told me how Mr. DeLuca found you in an orphanage in Italy and took you in. A child in such dire circumstances would attach on to anyone, I suppose. And you could have landed anywhere, but you ended up here." 

"I'm very lucky, I know." Liz was getting a little uneasy with the conversation Tess was leading her into. It pained her to know that no matter how much she wanted to, she would never be a part of Maria's family. 

"And also access to the best society," Tess giggled, implying that perhaps that was the reason why Liz was so close to the DeLucas. 

Immediately Liz shook her head and was a little taken aback by her comment. "No, that's not why... that is, I don't socialize. I am just Maria's companion, after all." 

"Come on, Liz. You can't be Maria's companion forever. Do you mean to tell me that you never think of romance," Tess queried. Then she couldn't help adding, "Being the romantic poet that you are." 

Liz just remained silent, not sure of what to say. When Tess saw that she wasn't going to answer, she continued, "Perhaps later you'll tell me when we become better friends." 

Liz smiled weakly and continued on with her tour. Why did she have a feeling that she and Tess were not going to be better friends? 

**I wanted to thank everyone for their fabulous feedback! It's been wonderful! I hope you enjoyed this part! More parts are to come, I assure you, and the next one might even have a little Max and Liz interaction. *hint, hint***

**Genius,** I'm glad that you're going to read The Inheritance. It's one of my fave books but just to let you know, most of my fic is based on the telemovie of the book so there's not going to be a lot of similarities. It's a good book though!! 

**Humalien,** wow, you mean there's someone out there besides me who's actually seen the movie too? Wow. :) Put a twist on it? Ack! Talk about putting pressure on a girl! I actually don't know if I can. I pretty much suck at being creative like that. 

   [1]: mailto:LWo1783@aol.com



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